Snowglobes and Mistletoe
by DarkElements10
Summary: It's time for the annual Ramon Christmas party and Cisco needs a date. They know Caitlin's just his friend and he needs to convince them she's not. So she agrees to be his fake girlfriend for the party. Too bad they soon can't tell the difference themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**Snow Globes and Mistletoe**

 **By: Riley**

 **Summary** – **It's time for the annual Ramon Christmas party and Cisco needs a date. They know Caitlin's just his friend and he needs to convince them she's not. Too bad they soon can't tell the difference themselves.**

* * *

 **1**

* * *

Cisco whistled to himself as he walked into the Cortex. With a Christmas song in his head, joy in his heart, and pep in his step, nothing could bring down his mood. The holidays were his favorite time of year. But most importantly, Christmas. Forget all the food that could be eaten during Thanksgiving. Forget watching his uncles shout and scream at the football game on TV when they weren't falling asleep after the food coma.

Forget his mother, aunts, and grandmother rattling off in rapid-fire Spanish as they gossiped over making dinner and complaining how the younger ones never want to help. (Save for them shooing away everyone who actually tried to help them). Forget them getting even more irritated when no one helped to wash the dishes. Forget Dante using the time to use the time to brag about all of the accomplishments he made that year.

Nothing compared to the joy that was Christmas. With all of the lights, and presents, and happiness that seemed to cover Central City, along with the snow. Nothing was a better time of year for him. And Cisco was nothing short of an elf when that fateful day in December came around. Especially with all of his new friends to spend it with.

He smiled, eyes moving around the Cortex to look at said friends.

Barry Allen, his best friend was using his super speed to take care of untangling all of the Christmas lights that needed to be hung. Cadence Nash and her son, Brady, were walking back and forth the floor of the Cortex as they put up ribbons, bulbs, candy canes, and pieces of garland. Harry Wells, the man who….wasn't as much of a pain in the ass as he had been before, stood by barking orders to everyone. _Of course,_ Cisco thought with a smirk.

And Caitlin…

Cisco felt his eyes drawing towards her as she stood to the side, putting ornaments up on the Christmas tree that had been put in place of Barry's suit, which Cisco had temporarily replaced. ("But where's my suit going to go?" Barry asked when he saw Cisco moving the mannequin. "It's not like there's not a million places in this building I can't put it," Cisco shot back. "And besides, it's _my_ suit."). Caitlin Snow was as perfect as ever, placing each piece of decoration on the tree equi-distant from the last. All that was needed was the lights to go in the spaces around them and things would be finished.

Funny how Caitlin was a big part of him managing to find his love for the holiday again. He hated it as much as scrooge, knowing he'd have to suffer with his family. But being able to spend that time with Caitlin, and Ronnie once upon a time, had given him the sense that things would be okay. Since then, they always spent the holidays together. It was an unspoken rule. And it had nothing to do with the fact that Caitlin was alone and Cisco would do anything to make her smile during the holidays.

Nope.

Nothing at all.

Caitlin turned his way and flashed a smile, folding her arms. "What's gotten you in such a good mood today?" She asked. "It certainly can't be the fact that you're late. You're never late."

"Not all of us have superspeed you know," Cisco replied, shooting own the sudden need to make sure his hands weren't sweating. "Super awesome Vibe powers, maybe, but not superpseed. And besides, I had to get provisions,"—he lifted a bag filled with candy. "And make a killer mixtape,"—he held up his iPhone with the other. "You're welcome."

Caitlin's smile widened and she held out her hands towards Cisco. He stretched his hand to her…and was intercepted by Brady as he grabbed onto the bag filled with candy. Cisco loved the kid, but he hadn't truly understood what the term 'cockblock' meant until then. Not including the times Dante seemed to make it his personal mission to mess things up whenever he was interested in a girl or brought a girl around the house…

There had been many times he'd even tried hitting on Caitlin and Cisco felt nothing short of glee when Caitlin swiftly turned him down each and every time. Of course, Ronnie was that reason, but it was sweet, sweet justice on a level he never knew existed.

"What kind of candy did you get?" Brady asked, sticking his head inside the bag. "Hey!" His mother reached around him and grabbed it back.

"Did I not teach you manners?" She asked, holding it out to Cisco.

"Not when it came to food," Brady replied. "You said to eat fast and make sure you're full—"

"—That was at a _buffet_. And we had already eaten all of the shrimp."

Barry laughed, folding his arms. "Yeah, why _are_ you late? Normally you're bouncing at the walls to get into STAR Labs every day. Sometimes, I think you live here."

"That _would_ cut down on the commute," Cisco mused. "And I'm sure the landlord wouldn't mind waving me rent." He gave a pointed looked to Barry, who smirked back at him. "But I already told you, I was getting provisions and music. There's nothing more to it than that. And do you know how hard it is to make the perfect Christmas mix? Do you go with the Christmas Carols of old or the new and hip covers of the songs you all know and love? And even then, do you play all of the same songs—originals and covers—in a row, or do you mix them up? And _how_ do you mix them? By artist, year release, genre? It's a very delicate process."

Caitlin laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Well, I'm sure we'll all appreciate what you came up with for—"

"—For another lie," Harry broke in. All eyes turned his way and Harry looked Cisco up and down. "Bets are you had that playlist made for month and have had that candy stashed for even longer. I wouldn't eat any of that in case of food poisoning." He juggled a silver balled ornament in his hands the pointed at Cisco. "Not to mention he's much too happy to be Cisco."

"You're right," Cisco said sarcastically. "Your mere presence generally tends to ruin any good mood I have."

"And you're still happy…?"

Barry and Caitlin exchanged a glance before turning to Cadence, who held her hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Cisco's heart sank. Cadence was cool—no pun intended to her fire powers—but the thing he hated most about her abilities was how easily she could read people. She'd proven it many times, being able to sense the temperature change in people to know when they were nervous or lying…he should've known he'd get away with things a little bit longer.

"Harry's right," Cadence finally said. "He's lying. So what is it, Cisco? You have a hot date you haven't told us about?" She chuckled at her own joke.

Cisco snuck a glance towards Caitlin, finding her looking back at him curiously. _Well, that lasted long enough._ "I was visiting my parents and told them that I'm not going to their Christmas party this year," he said quickly. "Who wants candy?"

"You're not going to your family's Christmas party?" Cadence asked. Cisco nodded. "And that make you happy?"

"You don't know my family."

"A Christmas party?" Brady's eyes lit up at the same time that Barry's face did. "Are we invited?"

"Yeah, I haven't been to a Christmas party in a long time," Barry added. "And I haven't met your family yet, other than Dante and…we know how that turned out."

Cisco nodded. Barry hadn't _truly_ met Dante as Barry, but as The Flash. And that had only been when Cisco had no choice but to reveal Barry's identity to Captain Cold and Heat Wave when the two had kidnapped his brother and tortured him. Barry had gone to Dante shortly afterwards to explain why it was important that Dante never tell anyone about his secret identity. So far Dante had kept it a secret but there was still the chance he could let things slip at the worst time.

"Wait," Caitlin said, holding up her hand. "The Annual Ramon Christmas Party?" She asked. " _That_ party? You don't want to go?"

Cisco grimaced, hating the way Caitlin was looking at him. With a tilted head and a 'we need to talk about this' look that she somehow managed to perfect in the years they'd known each other. It worked the day he'd been down about making a mistake during his first year at STAR Labs and she'd had it in her arsenal ever since.

"Nah, it's just…not something I want to do this year," Cisco said slowly, racking his brain for an excuse. "I…uh…have a lot of work to do around here." He gestured around the Cortex. "You know, watching over the city…going to fight metas…stopping crime."

A snort escaped Barry's lips. "You know I have superspeed right?"

"And that I can teleport," Cadence added.

"Not to mention the CCPD-"

"—Alright, I get it!" Cisco snapped. He folded his arms and looked away. "I just don't want to go?"

"Why?"

"Because the idea of having to be tortured by the constant questions of what I'm doing with my life isn't something that's very appealing to me." Cisco sniffed and started to count on his fingers. "'Are you still doing that science thing?' 'What's your plan in the next five years?' 'Did you know Dante did this?' 'Did you know Dante did that?' 'Do you have a girlfriend?' 'Dante's been dating his girl…' blah blah blah." He shook his head. "It doesn't help that I'm at the age where everyone in my family have started to get engaged and married so the questions of bringing a date or having a girlfriend has started to get worse and worse."

"Wow, that young?" Cadence asked, raising her eyebrows. Cisco could've easily said something about how Cadence had had Brady when she was so young, but wasn't dumb enough to inflict the wrath of a fire metahuman on him. Instead he shrugged, making Cadence's nose wrinkle. She thought for a moment and motioned to Caitlin. "Why doesn't Caitlin just go as your date?"

"I don't have any plans," Caitlin said. "I'd love to go."

Cisco's heart soared and he did his best to keep a goofy smile from coming to his face. He cleared his throat and steeled himself to say, "You've been to enough of our parties, they know you're not my girlfriend or anything." _As much as I want you to be,_ he thought. "It's not going to help much."

"Easy fix," Cadence insisted. "Just tell them she's your girlfriend. I'm sure Caitlin can fake it for a day."

Barry's eyes widened. "Uh, Cade, I don't think that's a good idea."

"As much as I don't care about Cisco and his romantic habits, I have to agree with Barry," Harry remarked. "Fake dating never turns out well. On my Earth we even have Public Service Announcements about them. You'd be surprised how often people end up dead after one of those schemes." Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Cadence, and Brady all stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't mess with matters of the heart," he said grimly. "That's why we have breakup cubes."

"Breakup cubes?" Barry repeated. "What?"

Cadence held up her hand, interrupting Barry. "Your family already knows that you guys are close friends. It's not hard to think you'd eventually start dating."

"Easy for you to say," Cisco said. "You're dating The Fastest Man Alive. On paper that's more amazing than anything I could bring to the table. That's more than what _any_ man can bring to the table."

"But no one knows Barry's The Flash, remember?" Brady reminded him.

"Dante does," Cisco said. He ran a hand through his hair. "And, chances are, he'll just continue to compare Barry to me and how he'd rather have him as a brother." He started to rub his chin. "I wonder if I can come up with a pair of earplugs that can just drown out his voice. It'd make a killing for family gatherings."

"Cisco." Barry placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Nothing and one compares to you."

"Okay, Sinead O'Conner. You're not going to start singing to me are you?" Cisco asked, brushing his hand away. Barry laughed, making Cisco smile a little. "Can we just drop this? We're having our own Christmas party, right? And it's going to be 100x better than anything the one my parents will have."

"Right," Caitlin agreed. She started to stroke her finger along the computer desk in small circles. "The party with the festive music, the sing-alongs, the café de leche, the biggest buffet of food you could ever have, all of your little cousins, your aunts and uncles…"

 _Damn it._ Cisco was starting to feel wistful. And just when he thought he was going to get out of it.

Caitlin gave him a meaningful look and said, "I don't have a problem pretending to be your girlfriend for the party, Cisco."

"You don't?" Cisco, Barry, and Harry all chorused with varying degrees of surprise. Cadence smirked and Brady was too busy eating his fill of chocolate from the bag that Cisco seemed to have forgotten about.

"It's just for one day," Caitlin said. "And you know I always have a good time at your family's parties when we're hanging out." She grinned. "Remember last year when we brought the piñata?"

Cisco grinned. As a joke, they had manufactured a piñata at STAR Labs for the occasion. It was filled with candy and everything you'd ever want out of the game, but, like the crane games at the arcade, they rigged it to only open after a certain amount of hits. Watching Dante turn red in the face at his desperation to knock it open was the highlight of the day.

"So? What do you say?" Caitlin asked. She walked up to his side and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Okay," Cisco finally agreed. "You guys can come, you're all invited." He pointed at Harry. "Except for you. I don't want you anywhere near my family."

"The feeling's mutual," Harry said.

Cisco smiled, even Harry's dickish attitude wasn't going to get him down.

He had a date to the Christmas party. His best friend was going with him. His girl friend. Not _girlfriend_. Unfortunately, there was a difference between the two.

* * *

 **A/N;** Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this. It's going to be a short story, about five chapters or so. I really like KillerVibe with their friendship and as a possible romantic pairing and I figured this was the perfect time of year to try and write one. This does fall into the universe of my main flash series, The Flash and The Flame, so there are OCs in it.

Let me know what you think.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riley**


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

* * *

Caitlin Snow didn't know what to do.

It was a foreign feeling for her. Even when she was stuck on her own experiments and pieces of research, it didn't take long for her to figure out the solution that was staring her right in the face. O what was it that was making it so hard for her to figure out a Christmas gift for Cisco this year? Every year before then, getting gifts had been so easy. An assortment of headbands to keep his hair back was easy their first Christmas together after he started working at STAR Labs. He insisted on keeping his hair in a ponytail because, 'It helps me think'.

So Caitlin thought of getting the hairbands to keep the fringe that kept falling in his face from escaping its prison. She'd seen him sitting at his desk, chin in hand, blowing a gust of air up towards his forehead in vain to keep it in place. It took a while for her to realize it was his way of thinking, too. Focusing on something that kept him from freaking out completely over the lack of progress he was making on his work.

The second year she got him some novelty t-shirts she thought he'd like. It was pretty easy, seeing how he had worn a pop culture related garb underneath his blazer. A blazer he was obviously uncomfortable in but wore to appear more professional. He was easily the youngest of the scientists working alongside Dr. Wells and the others and felt a little out of place. The t-shirts were a comfort and Caitlin wanted him to feel like he belonged. Since then, he wore nothing but novelty shirts and jeans, making Caitlin smile every time she saw he was wearing one of the ones she bought him.

After that, after they had gotten to know each other and became best friends, their gifts became much harder to figure out. The sentiment and emotion behind them were easy, but it had to be the perfect gift. Caitlin remembered the year before when Cisco had listened when she spoke about how cold her office could get—which made even Ronnie snort as she was the one who preferred to drink iced drinks in the morning as much as she enjoyed going skiing—and he'd not only gotten her a space heater, but also a set of warming slippers and a cardigan.

Ronnie's gift was as touching; their engagement and the planners and stationary she had her eye on, but Caitlin didn't know anyone other than him that knew her so well to get her great gifts. Not even her mother. She knew all those years where hers and Caitlin's father's name were put on gifts it was all from her father. Practically since being born, Caitlin and her mother were at odds and never got to know each other more than mother and daughter, the roles they had to play. Their gifts were a simple; books. Every year they gave each other books they thought they'd like, not with much thought put into them.

Honestly, Caitlin never thought her mother deserved having a good gift, but it was polite. Politeness was something instilled into Caitlin from a young age. Even she had to force herself to grin and bear it when he was around Hartley. But Cisco deserved the nicest things life had to offer and Caitlin was stuck drawing a big, fat, blank.

What was it about Christmas that made gift giving so difficult? For birthdays and 'just because' it was easy. Now it was so…so…

"Ugh, why can't I think of anything?" Caitlin asked, taking a step back from the row of books that sat in front of her. She turned and rested her back against the shelf. She tilted her head back and folded her arms in frustration. "Usually, it's not this hard to find a gift for him."

"Duh, it's because you're looking for a gift for your friend, not your boyfriend."

Narrowing her eyes, Caitlin turned her gaze to Cadence, who grinned, standing beside her. "Aren't you supposed to be here helping me?" So far, for the past hour as they'd been shopping, Cadence had shot down nearly every idea Caitlin had come up with. Whether it wasn't thoughtful enough—"Who wants to get socks?" she demanded, despite the fact they were the thickest, warmest socks that could keep out Central City's coldest—or that he may not use it—such as the Geek cookbook Caitlin had found, showing the reader how to create the foods out of different sci-fi and fantasy worlds which, according to Cadence, "He probably wouldn't use. How much does he cook other than Pizza Pockets?"

"I _am_ helping you," Cadence pointed out. She waved a hand. "I'm helping you realize that you're not thinking of Cisco the way you're supposed to; as your loving boyfriend of the past year. You're supposed to be convincing his parents of it, remember? And if you can't even convince me, you're not going to convince his family. And a gift would certainly prove it."

"Okay." Caitlin folded her arms. "Then what do you suggest?"

Cadence's grin widened. "Underwear."

A perfectly sarcastic eyebrow was lifted as Caitlin asked, "Why would I get Cisco underwear?" She couldn't stop herself before the image of Cisco in any underwear came to mind. Not that she hadn't seen him in his underwear before, there had been multiple times she'd give him a lift to work and he'd been sound asleep by the time she got there.

He wasn't someone who prided himself on his physique—how many times had Caitlin smiled and shook her head as Cisco wondered how he could get 'lightning abs' without getting struck by lightning as well. He didn't look half bad, Caitlin remembered. Light pudge on his stomach but otherwise still very attractive to look at. She'd told him time and time again, that any girl would be lucky to have him and he didn't need to worry about comparing himself to other guys.

In her mind's eye, Caitlin continued to check Cisco out, only coming back to attention when Cadence said, "I didn't say it was for _him_ to wear, but I'm sure he'd enjoy it all the same."

At that remark, Caitlin immediately went hot under the collar but she couldn't tell if it was because she suddenly developed fire powers or if Cadence was doing it to her. Either way, she needed it to stop and stop _now._ Especially all of the _new_ thoughts running through her head that she…wasn't quite hating so much.

"Oh please," Caitlin finally managed to sputter. "That's…that's…"

"Brilliant?"

"Ludicrous. Cisco's not like that."

"Cisco is a warm-blooded male, I can assure you in some way he's like that." Cadence folded her arms and looked at Caitlin seriously. "Though, considering what he says about his family, I think you're more likely to get underwear as a gift from _them_ than anything else." With that, Caitlin shoved her hard on the arm and Cadence laughed, stumbling back out of the way. "Cait, I'm kidding. Geez." She stopped laughing but her smile didn't wait, a light dancing in her eyes. "Honestly, you know Cisco a lot better than I do, if there's anything you think he'd want for a gift, he'd love it either way."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm absolutely positive."

Caitlin noticed the certainty in Cadence's tone and eyed her warily. Cadence made a show of turning her back on her, and walked through the stacks of books, eyes gazing over them. Caitlin had known her best friend—best girl friend—long enough to know there was something she wasn't telling. Whether or not it had anything to do with the predicament Caitlin was now in, she wasn't sure.

"Okay, what's that smile about?" Caitlin asked, following her.

"Nothing," Cadence replied.

"No, what is it?"

"You're a smart girl, Caitlin, you'll figure it out soon enough."

Caitlin still hated the smug smiled that was on Cadence's face. So much so that Caitlin went through every possible scenario in her head that would make her so smug. Clearly it was something she knew that Caitlin hadn't figured out yet. But Caitlin was smart, she worked with some of the brightest minds in the world and excelled on everything academic.

 _Since when are feelings and boyfriends academic?_ Caitlin thought. Part of her stress was her own fault. She'd agreed to pretend to be Cisco's girlfriend for the party and she really meant it. There were too many times she'd watched Cisco be miserable when seeing his family despite how much he did want to see them. It always went the same way; he'd get the invitation, lament over not going, would go hoping things would be different, and everything would be the same.

It was why she decided to go with him for some more of the parties, so he had someone to talk to and it'd be easier for him to handle. This was different. Her stomach was filled with butterflies, palms filled with sweat, and her knees knocked so hard she was sure it was creating a beat everyone could hear. What could've made things so different from every other time they've hung out? Just saying she'd pretend to date him? _We're best friends, it's not weird,_ Caitlin reminded herself. And it wasn't, it'd been joked about enough.

Ronnie had even made an offhand comment about it a few times; how he though Cisco may have a thing for her. Caitlin laughed it off but…

"Okay, so what do you want for Christmas?" Caitlin asked, changing the subject.

Cadence pressed her lips together. She picked up a book and leafed through it so fast, the pages flying by her thumb, that they singed and small embers wafted through the air. Caitlin looked around to be sure no one was watching her metahuman display. "I don't know, what sounds better to you? A shotgun blast to the head or punching myself in the face hard enough to create brain damage?"

Ah. "Your mom's coming?"

"Bingo." Cadence pressed a finger to her nose before running a hand through her hair. "And that just means that everything has to be perfect. The food, the decorations, the lights…" she lifted a finger. "All of which I haven't had much time to figure out yet. Do you know how hard it is to have crippling anxiety over wanting things to be perfect for your mother?"

Caitlin thought about it. Cadence was having issues making sure things were perfect for her mother, Caitlin's life and continued need for perfection had been due to her mother's insistence that everything was done a certain way and at a certain time, and now she and Cisco were going to put on a ruse to trick his family.

How ironic.

* * *

"I have absolutely no idea what to get," Barry said, putting an angel figurine back onto the shelf. "I haven't had much time to think about it."

"What did you get Joe and Iris last year?" Cisco asked, standing nearby, scrolling through his nose. From where Barry was standing, he could see Cisco was looking at a map of Central City, keeping track of the Metahuman App.

"Last year I gave Iris replicas of her mom's weddings rings and I gave Joe—"

"You gave Iris a replica of her mother's wedding ring?" Cisco interrupted, eyes growing wide as he lowered his cell phone from his face. "Geez, you really like to make things hard for yourself, don't you?"

Barry frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean,_ you're not supposed to give gifts like that until you're married and you gave it to your best friend." Cisco shook his head. "I can't to see what you're getting Cade for Christmas. A yacht? An island? Her childhood home."

"Yeah, like I can afford that," Barry said sarcastically. He turned back to Cisco with a raised eyebrow. "And besides, aren't we supposed to be here for you? Have you gotten Caitlin her Christmas gift yet?"

A smile came to Cisco's face and he folded his arms, puffing out his chest with pride. "I've had her gift planned since last year. And trust me, it's going to knock her socks off."

"Really?" Now Barry was intrigued. What could it possibly be? It had to be something good if Cisco were that confident about it. Not that Cisco didn't have a lot to be confident about, but he never seemed to be as open unless he were in STAR Labs and working on meta things. Otherwise, he tended to shrink in on himself and resulted in joking around when nervous. Which was a lot. "Well, what'd you get her?"

"A snowglobe."

Barry could hardly keep the surprise from his voice as he repeated, "A snowglobe?" Cisco nodded. "For real?"

"Look, you haven't known Caitlin as long as I have," Cisco explained. To Barry's suspicion, he sounded a little nervous, as if his gift wasn't a good idea. "And Caitlin loves snowglobes. Absolutely love them. I've had this Snowglobe back-ordered for over a year now. It's a snowglobe of Wilton Mountain in Oklahoma. It was the place of the last trip Caitlin and her father took before he passed away. It lights up at night in an LED display and plays the music they used to listen to together."

Barry gaped at Cisco, listening to the explanation of the gift. That…blew nearly everything he'd ever come up with out of the water. And Cisco was telling him as if he was saying the wind was blowing. _I guess they really are closer than I thought._ He always knew it, the way they interacted around each other when he woke up and was starting to get used to STAR Labs.

"What?" Cisco asked, noticing his look. Nervously, he shuffled his feet. "Is it a weird gift? People like snowglobes, right? I mean, Cait really likes them, she collects them. Well, not so much since Ronnie died. Oh God, you don't think it'd remind her of Ronnie dying, do you?" He grabbed Barry by the shoulders. "Is this a bad idea?"

"Cisco, relax, it's just…that's a great gift," Barry said. He raised his eyebrows earnestly. "It's definitely going to blow your family away."

"That's the plan." Cisco put his phone away and rubbed his hands together. "I can't wait to see the look on Dante's face when I finally have something over him." He paused and waved a hand. "And, you know, seeing my mom and dad should be fun, too."

Barry smiled and put his arms around Cisco's shoulders as they left the store to meet the girls. He could've raced across the mall, using his superspeed to race them in and out of stores to buy gifts within seconds. But that wasn't the point of the holidays; it wasn't to rush through things and dread everything that went along with it. It was to spend time with family and friends and relish in the decorations, lights, and…

Well, Barry wasn't quite sure what his Christmas would consist of this year. His mother was still dead, his father was out of jail, and he was still trying to find his place amongst the life he missed out on while in jail. Thankfully, there were enough people in his life that he had multiple families to celebrate with. _Even if said family member is from another Earth,_ Barry thought, his mind shifting towards Harry. Even as sarcastic and rough around the edges he could be, if he was a Wells, then Christmas was his favorite time of year and no one needed to be alone even if it was for a Christmas party.

The two strolled around for a few more minutes before meeting up with Cadence and Caitlin at the fountain, finding them suspiciously without a lot of bags, but sharing a pretzel. "Did you save any for me?" He asked as they walked up.

"It's not anything you can't burn off by breathing," Cadence said, licking mustard off her thumb.

"You'll just be eating again in five seconds," Caitlin added.

"As long as it's anything other than those thousand calorie bars, it's worth it," Barry said.

Cisco sniffed, sticking his nose in the air. "We'll see how you feel when you're dying of hunger and you don't have any of them left."

"Relieved," Barry said. Cisco rolled his eyes as Barry took the pretzel Cadence offered and took a large bite of it. Cadence made a whimpering sound as she looked at the last bit that was left of her snack. "I'll pay you back," Barry mumbled then changed the subject. "Did you guys find everything you were going to get?"

"Not everything," Caitlin said, shooting a look towards Cisco. "But we did find some things for Harry."

"Why bother?" Cisco asked. "The best gift Harry could get is me not being around him." He rubbed his chin. "Funny enough, that'd be the best gift I could ever get, too." He looked at his phone as it started to go off. "Uh-oh, looks like we've got some trouble. Bank robbery and car jacking at Central City Federal."

"We better get going," Caitlin said, face immediately screwing up in concern.

"Let's go," Barry said to Cadence, who nodded back. With a burst of speed, Barry raced back to STAR Labs with Cadence on his heels, teleporting. They changed into their suits and rushed to the crime scene, nearly getting flattened by the car careening around the corner.

Barry exchanged a glance with Cadence and the two immediately set their plan into action. Cadence sent them screeching down a side road with a sudden burst out fire erupting in front of the car which was then quickly followed by a cloud of smoke that sent the bank robbers scrambling out of their car, gasping for air. Barry quickly grabbed them, tied them together, cuffed their hands behind their backs, and deposited them at the front desk of the CCPD.

The two went straight back to STAR Labs and high-fived to congratulate each other as they headed to the Cortex. As Barry started to step over the threshold, Cadence grabbed his arm and dragged him back around the corner and into the hallway. "Ow! What?" He asked.

"I think we need to give them a little time alone," Cadence said, tilting her head towards the Cortex. Barry followed her gaze and watched as Cisco and Caitlin crowded around a computer desk, leaning close to each other to look at the screen.

"Alone to…watch a criminal get sent to jail?" Barry asked.

"Barry, are you blind?" Cadence practically yelped, giving him an incredulous look. "You know Cisco has the total hots for Caitlin, right?"

"For Caitlin?" Barry repeated. He laughed at Cadence's earnest nod. "No, they're just friends. He likes her as a friend."

"Barry, _you_ like her as a friend. Cisco practically drools whenever Caitlin walks by." She waved a hand towards the Cortex. "Not to mention the way he looks at her when he thinks no one's looking. You're the Fastest Man Alive and you don't even catch _those_ looks?"

Barry shrugged. "Then what's the point of them pretending to date each other for the party?"

"You don't think it's going to work?"

"I think it's going to make things worse before they get better. Making people jealous to get their attention is never a good idea."

"Hey, I only suggested the idea, I never said they had to go along with it." Cadence then smiled and stood on her tip-toes, giving him a peck on the lips. "But at their wedding, I'm going to schedule my 'I told you so' speech right after your speech as the best man."

Barry laughed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, well, looks like Caitlin hasn't exactly figured out her feelings for Cisco yet. But it looks like there are some there. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, I'm especially excited about the next one.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riley**


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

* * *

For the next week, Cisco and Caitlin worked hard to be sure that they were able to convince others they were a couple. It was Cisco's idea, really. And it took a little bit for him to talk Caitlin into it. Just a few trial runs, he'd suggested, going out to dinner or something.

"We got to dinner together all the time," Caitlin pointed out.

Cisco smiled back in reply. "But you haven't been to dinner with me as a date."

He'd hoped it had been smooth, that she didn't notice his knees were knocking and he'd most certainly pass out if she said 'no' or said she had 'too much work to do'. But Caitlin had smiled and shook her head before agreeing to go out with him. So they went to dinner one day and went to a movie another day. It had been very date-like, he dressed nicely and went to pick her up, becoming more than stunned when he saw she had dressed up as well.

Maybe it was him, but he felt things were moving in the right direction. There were enough reasons to think it; they were amazing friends, she always had a good time with him and vice versa, they knew each other better than they knew themselves. Cisco knew every range of emotion that Caitlin felt just by a simple glance at her face, or by the way she held her shoulders. Could tell she was worried about something when she chewed her lower lip, was stressed when she chewed her pens, was excited about something when her fingertips fluttered, was sad when she constantly played with her hair.

It was everything he knew about her since he first met her. That was when his crush first started. He would never say it was love at first sight. Not back then. Now…he was surprise little hearts didn't rise up and pop around him when he saw her, that angelic music didn't suddenly blare out of nowhere, that she didn't walk in slow motion like all of the cartoons he devoured growing up would show.

No, she was graceful in her own way. A way that was entirely Caitlin Snow that made Cisco fall more in love with her each day.

When the day of the Christmas party arrived, Cisco had been staying at his parent's house that night so he could help finish decorating and baking the next day. He had no choice in the matter, honestly. His mother had practically forced him to do it. His brother guilted him into it very easily, with a grin and mocking tone to his voice as he said, "You're never around to help mom. This is the least you can do." As if the way his family treated him was nothing, and that was why he wasn't around to help his mom.

Cisco stood at the counter, twirling his wrist as fast as possible to beat the heavy whipping cream into light and fluffy peaks. "They _have_ to be light and fluffy, _mijo_ ," His mother had insisted nearly every few minutes as she peered into his bowl. "Or else these Margarita pie is going to fail and you know I can't have a dessert that fails."

"Oh, don't worry about it, _mami_ ," Dante said. He reached out and clasped his hand on Cisco's shoulder, shaking him. "Cisco can find something else to ruin. But we all know you take a lot of pride in your dishes. Even Cisco isn't dumb enough to mess that up."

Cisco's upper lip curled and he pushed Dante's hand away from his shoulder. He turned his attention back to the whipped cream and pretended it was Dante's face so that he could work faster. A smirk came to his lips when he saw he was making more progress with it. Finally, his mother determined it was finished and took the bowl from him, patting him lovingly on the arm, before spooning the whipped cream onto the top of the pie before she wrapped it up to put in the freezer to chill.

"Do you plan on making everyone drunk?" Cisco asked, watching as she put the pie away.

"You know I don't put _that_ much alcohol in my desserts," Mrs. Ramon replied, placing her hand son her hips. "Enough for a buzz, but not enough to get drunk." She laughed loudly and swatted at him once more. "We'd have a different kind of party on our hands if that happened and you know what happens when Tio Herman gets a little too drunk."

Cisco smiled. Well, his uncle certainly was the life of the party when he was around. It wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing. Sure, a few things got broken, some shouting happened, but Tio Herman was one of Cisco's favorite relatives. He didn't understand much about science and technology, but he listened to everything Cisco had to say about his work and asked enough questions to be honestly interested. Every time he came through the door he'd greet Cisco with a big hug and a mention of an article he'd read about some piece of technology and wanted Cisco's opinion on it.

Most importantly, he was looking forward to playing with his cousins. He was a permanent member of the kid's table—something Dante was sure to make a comment about nearly every holiday—and enjoyed it as much as he could sitting with everyone else. Who else would be able to talk to him about the Stark Trek and Star Wars movies and video games and what was going on with pop culture.

"So," Mrs. Ramon asked, folding her arms. She looked her son in the eye, making Cisco able to detect a slightly hidden air of mischief, before she asked, "When are we going to meet that lovely girlfriend of yours?"

"You mean Caitlin?" Cisco couldn't kicked himself as soon as the words escaped his lips.

Of _course_ she meant Caitlin. There was no one else Cisco had talked about in their recent conversations, to plant the seeds of their little ruse. But it wasn't just recent conversations, it was almost every time they talked since Cisco started working at STAR Labs. Who else would she be talking about? Not Kendra, that's for sure. Last she heard from her she was flying off into the sunset with that Carter Hall guy.

Not that he was jealous. There was no need to be jealous but…how many more girls would come into his life that he had no chance with and _wouldn't_ have the chance with?

First there was Melinda Torres. His first love. The woman he was sure he would marry, a really close friend. And she'd liked him, too. But Dante had ruined it by telling her he was working to become a priest. On one hand Cisco was a bit impressed with the reason Dante came up with. If he were trying to play a prank on Jake Puckett, it was probably what he'd come up with. On the other hand, Cisco was pissed beyond belief that he could ruin something like that.

Kendra Saunders was someone he had fallen for as soon as he'd seen her. It didn't help much that he saw her every morning as he went to Jitters to get their morning coffee. An Espresso for him and an iced coffee for Caitlin. He saw her smile the first time and immediately felt the familiar fluttering of butterflies in his stomach. A little different compared to the hummingbirds that flew around when he saw or thought of Caitlin. But nice. And he tried with her, knowing Caitlin was still mourning over Ronnie. It didn't end up working out for him, she literally flew away from him.

Then there was Caitlin.

Probably the most influential person in his life. And…and he was in love with her. Maybe not the same way that Ronnie had been, maybe he was a little too young for that kind of love. He certainly wasn't too young for the heartache that came along with watching the person you liked date someone else.

"You must be in love," Mrs. Ramon continued as Cisco thought how to answer. "I don't think I've seen you smile so much. That look in your eye…"

 _Must be the same one I'm always showing,_ Cisco thought. He reached up to feel his face. He didn't feel anything different about the way he was looking. Finally, he dropped his hand to the side and said, "Yeah, well, Caitlin's amazing."

Dante let out a sound of disbelief, crossing his arms. "I thought you were just friends. Wasn't she dating that Ronnie guy?"

Cisco bristled. Not just because of the way Dante was immediately trying to undermine him, but also because of how flippantly he was speaking about Ronnie. Ronnie Raymond, as much as Cisco envied him for having Caitlin, was one of his best friends. They did everything together and were the OG bromance before Barry came around. To hear him be spoke about like that made him angry.

"'That Ronnie guy' was her fiancé," Cisco said through gritted teeth. "And one of my best friends. He passed away, you know not to speak ill of the dead." He waved his finger towards his brother the same way their mother when did when they were young and speaking quietly about how happy they were that their evil grandmother—on their father's side—had passed. (Even though Cisco knew his mother felt the same, she made sure that they continued to respect their elders despite their passing).

Mrs. Ramon said a quiet prayer before saying, "I'm glad she was able to move on," she said. "And with someone as wonderful as my son."

Cisco lifted an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that. His mother, father, and brother, all continuously reminded him of the things he did wrong. Now he may or may not have a girlfriend in the picture and it was like the sun was shining out of his butt.

"When are we going to be getting some grandchildren?"

That explained it.

"Mami, we're just dating. I'm not anywhere near proposing to her or having kids."

"Have you met him?"Dante interrupted. He laughed, leaning forward to rest his arms on the counter. "Cisco is still a kid himself, do you think he's ready to have any children of his own?" He thought for a moment, his smile widening. "Then again, he's got all of the toys he could need."

" _Action figures,"_ Cisco said through gritted teeth. There was a difference between toys and the ones that would give him a small fortune later in life. Most of those couldn't be played with as it was. And now he would never let even his own kids play with them. "And like I said, I'm not ready for marriage yet."

"You're getting to that age, Cisco," his mother reminded him. "The sooner you get married the more time you have to set for you and Caitlin and your family. I'm sure money isn't too much of a problem for you at STAR Labs. Plenty for your family."

"What family? We haven't even—" He cut himself off. He was about say 'we haven't even gone on a _real_ date yet'. A date that wasn't just for practice. An actual, bonafide date. But he caught himself. Unfortunately, the other implication that came from it was just as bad.

The grin on Dante's face was already too much for him to handle. But the knowing smirk on his face as he said, "Did dad not give you 'the talk'? Did you not pay attention in school? I can get you a pamphlet if you ever need more information."

"Dante, shut up!" Cisco finally snapped.

"Hey, hey! No fighting at my party!" Mrs. Ramon said, shooing at the two with a dishtowel. "Get out of my kitchen. Let me work. Go see if your father needs anything." The two did as they were told.

 _You don't get orders from her and follow them,_ Cisco thought, unable to keep a smile from coming to his face. If there was anyone who knew how to prioritize things…now if only he could get Dante to leave him alone. "What?" He asked, noticing the smarmy smile on Dante's face.

"Nothing, _hermanito_ ," Dante replied, making Cisco roll his eyes. Dante always had to make sure to remind Cisco he was older than him. Always using his 'big brother card' as much as possible. "But you've done this before. Pass off a bunch of girls as your girlfriend. We've known Caitlin for a long time, since you started working at STAR Labs. We know she's not your girlfriend."

"Yes, she is," Cisco insisted. "We've been dating for a while now. Look, I know you're jealous that, for once, a girl likes me and not you, but that doesn't mean that you have to take it to on me." Dante frowned and Cisco knew he had struck a nerve. Not that he thought Dante had a thing for Caitlin. Not at all, but that he wasn't used to Cisco being the more desired one. Even if it was fake, it was a good feeling. "I don't have anything I need to prove to you."

He turned away from his brother and went to the living room, sitting with his father as he watched the soccer game on TV. And while he waited for his friends and family to arrive, Cisco wrung his hands together. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the decorations that had been put up. The lights that slowly blinked in and out, changing colors as the seconds passed. The streamers hanging over each doorway. The presents stacked beneath the decorated tree, waiting to be ripped open by the kids, causing wrapping paper to go flying with reckless abandon. The tree that stood like a monument among the rest of the decorations.

Then Cisco's gaze moved to the four paned window, to look out at the street. The only way the day would get better would be if it started to snow. Nothing made Christmas better than if it was a white Christmas. He remembered so many holidays that had started out terribly but ended up amazing because of the snow fall. At least long enough for the words of his family to not stick with him as much.

 _Maybe we can stay for a little while then duck out to STAR Labs,_ Cisco thought, resting his chin in his hands. _I'd have more fun there than more questions from the rest of my family._ He looked up as the doorbell chimed.

"Cisco, could you get that?" Dante asked. Before Cisco could respond, he turned his attention to his father and the two started to speak in rapid fire Spanish about the soccer game.

Rolling his eyes, Cisco got to his feet and went to the door, mumbling to himself. He pulled it open and stared as Caitlin straightened up from picking up a festively wrapped bag from the floor of the porch. She smiled, her brown eyes sparkling as much as the glitter that sparkled on the headband keeping her hair back.

"Hi," she greeted with a warm smile. "Where do you want me to put these?"

Cisco stared at Caitlin, unable to focus. Her eyes darted from her face—taking in the smoky makeup she had put on, to her hair—there were more curls put into it, to her dress—a clingy, gray sweater dress that went to her thighs and knee high black boots. He was sure his mouth was hanging open and was evensurer flies were flowing in and out.

"Cisco?"

"Right, yeah." Cisco blinked rapidly and stood aside so Caitlin could come inside. "Uh, you can just put it under the tree." He motioned to the living room and closed the door behind her. "Um, you look amazing, by the way."

Caitlin smiled. "Thank you."

It was one of the few lies he had to tell that day.

* * *

"Uh, a little help here?"

Cisco side-stepped Barry, whose arms were pinned to his sides by the tinsel Cisco's little cousins and Brady were wrapping the speedster in. Complete with a bow on his head and the gift wrap that was starting to be turned around his feet, Barry was certainly not going to get out of it. "Sorry, bro, but I've gotten the piñata treatment before. Not even your speed is going to get you out of this one."

Barry's eyes narrowed into a glare and he spat out a chunk of packing paper out of his mouth that Diego and Isabella had shoved inside. "Could you cool it with the tinsel?" Barry asked Brady, who grinned and continued to unravel another spool. "It's really itchy."

"Hmm," Cadence commented as she came up beside Cisco. She tilted her head to the side, watching Barry get turned into a present. "I think that's better than my own wrapping."

"Yeah, my cousins are really creative," Cisco agreed. He pulled out his cell phone and too a few pictures of Barry as the gift wrap continued to move higher up his body. "And I'm certainly going to take advantage of his blackmail opportunity."

"You may want to turn your attention to your girlfriend," Cadence commented, pointing over her shoulder with her thumbs. "She sent me over here so you could rescue her. Your grandparents are really starting to grill her."

"Oh." Cisco felt himself grimace, his jaw clenching. "Yeah, they can really get excited about things sometimes. Thanks for the heads up." He patted Cadence on the shoulder. "Feel free to find a stick and whack Barry with it a little bit. My Tia Lucy forgot to bring the piñata this year and I think Barry's it."

Cadence gave him a thumbs up and a conspiratory wink. "You got it."

Cisco smiled back and beelined for the kitchen, moving aside, trying to work through all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. He never realized how big of a family he had until they were all together at once. And chaos was certainly short of the word that would adequately describe the nature of his family when they were all together. Stepping over the threshold, Cisco immediately zeroed in on Caitlin, who sat at the table, snapping the ends off of beans with a smile frozen on her face.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked, grabbing everyone's attention as he went inside. Caitlin flashed him a grateful smile and he headed towards her. "Abuelo, Abuelita, you're not interrogating her are you?'

"Interrogating? No! We're just trying to figure out what's what," Cisco's grandfather declare. "Your friend here is a very lovely young woman."

Caitlin blushed, though the nervous smile was still on her face. Her eyes shifted towards Cisco's and he immediately recognized her cry for help. "Yeah," Cisco agreed quietly. "I've always known that. But there's something I wanted to show her." He reached over and grabbed Caitlin's hand, pulling her up. "So—"

"Excellent!" His grandmother clapped her hands together. "There is something I want to show her, too." Cisco stopped in his tracks and looked his grandmother in the eye. Then he noticed the color of the bag that she started to bring out from beneath the table. A hot pink bag with the word 'pink' written on the side and—oh no.

"That's alright, Abuelita, you can show us later." Cisco grasped Caitlin's hand tighter and pulled her out into the adjoining hallway. Once they were around the corner he let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think they'd corner you like that. And I definitely didn't think my grandma would try to give you something from Victoria's Secret."

A strange look then crossed Caitlin's face and for a moment it looked like she was about to start laughing. Then she shook her head and said, "Trust me when I say I'm not surprised about that at all."

"Why? What do you mean?" Cisco asked. He held his hands up and took a step back from her. "No, I'm good. I don't think I want to know."

"No, you really don't."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry for what's been going on with these guys," Cisco said, tilting his head towards the kitchen. "And for being grilled like that. I didn't think that it would get that bad." He thought for a moment. "Actually, I don't think they'd ever done that with any of Dante's girlfriends either."

"Other than Melinda Torres?" Caitlin teased. Cisco stared at her for a long moment. Caitlin looked back at him and a few seconds later they finally started to laugh hysterically. "I'm sorry, I know that was mean, I couldn't help it."

"You know when you give a good diss to someone you're not supposed to apologize for it, right?"

"I'm sorry, I don't like to be mean."

"Are you calling me mean?"

"Have you _heard_ some of the things you've said to Harry? Cisco, you could make a _baby_ cry if you ever wanted to." She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall beside her, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. "As a matter of fact, I think I _have_ seen you make a baby cry."

Cisco pursed his lips. He remembered the incident clearly. "Okay, that was a game of laser tag. And in laser tag, all's fair in love and war." And there was a little bit of…maybe animosity would be the good word, that resulted in a crying seven year old and Cisco being kicked out for a week.

"You say that every time you want to justify yourself," Caitlin teased. Cisco smiled back, his eyes locking onto hers. Then his eyes shifted down and he saw he was still holding her hand. And she hadn't moved to pull her hand away. No, she held on tighter.

But how much of it was fake and how much of it was real?

"So, what are the lovebirds up to?" Dante asked as he walked over. Cisco glanced at his brother over his shoulder and turned from Caitlin, dropping his hand from hers. Funny how quickly his hand felt…empty without hers in it. "Trying to get a few moments to yourself?" His eyes shifted back and forth between Cisco and Caitlin, as if trying to catch them doing something wrong.

"What do you want, Dante?" Cisco asked in exasperation.

"You friend Barry is calling for your help," Dante said, gesturing with his mug of hot chocolate over his shoulder. "Something about not being able to breathe because of the gift wrap. And that Cadence chick is just sitting there laughing at him." Cisco smiled. Sounded about right for the two of them. Dante then locked his eyes on Caitlin though he spoke to Cisco. "I know mami was talking about you starting a family, but I'm glad you weren't dumb enough to do it so young."

Behind him, Cisco felt Caitlin bristle, pushing herself off the wall. Cisco held out his arm to hold her back. "Whatever my friends decide to do in their lives is their business," he said.

"Sure, they just like to make all of your family stay in as much danger as possible."

Okay, now Dante was trying to get back at him by dissing his friends. Mortal enemies and little children that didn't know their place in a laser tag game deserved it. But for his friends to come out of nowhere? Absolutely not. Cisco's nostrils flared and he drew himself up to his full height, looking his brother in the eye.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you're not going to mess with my friends," he said quietly, seriously. "They may make mistakes and very tough decisions on a daily basis, but at least they care about me. You're nothing but a dick who tries to put me down because you're insecure."

Dante chuckled. "What do I have to be insecure about?"

"That you live off your parents and have no goals in life. At least I'm making something of mine. I work at a company with a team I love, I have the best friends anyone could ask for, and I have a girlfriend that I love dearly. What do you have?"

Dante looked at his brother a moment longer before his lips curled back into a tight smile. "I may have underestimated you hermanito. Excuse me." He turned on his heel and walked away from the two. Cisco brought a hand up to rub his forehead, already regretting what he'd said. His brother did manage to piss him off; being around his family for a while could do that to him. But it was Christmas, a time where they were supposed to be together and be a family.

Even if they had to fake it for one day.

With a heavy sigh, Cisco leaned against the wall behind him, tilting his head back. "I really messed that one up, didn't I?" He asked. Caitlin didn't respond. "I guess I should apologize to him." Again, she didn't respond. Finally, Cisco lifted an eyebrow and said, "Earth to Caitlin, I'm talking to you." Then he noticed her staring at him. But not with the warmth she had been looking at him before. "What?"

"Did you mean what you said?" She whispered.

"About Dante being a dick? Yeah, I don't think that's so hard to believe I meant."

"No." Caitlin swallowed hard, leaned towards him. Spoke seriously. "Did you mean what you said. When you said you loved me?"

All at once, Cisco felt as if he were falling. So much so that he thought there was a sudden meta attack and the house was collapsing around him. But no, he couldn't be so lucky. It was the feeling of his heart plummeting down to his feet. Had he said that? That he loved her? Did he really say it out loud?

" _And I have a girlfriend that I love dearly."_

Yeah, he said that.

"Oh, uh, that," he said. "Well, I, uh, had to make it convincing?" As the words left his lips, Cisco saw Caitlin's eyes darken before her mouth tightened. Then her lips parted and she let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Right. Can't forget that," She said.

"Oh come on, Caitlin, you can't be mad at me for that," Cisco protested.

She shook her head. "I'm not mad."

"You're drumming your fingers," he pointed out. Her fingertips were, in fact, drumming repeatedly in the air. Similar to when she fluttered her fingertips, but it was a more precise movement. As if her anger was being channeled into it rather than letting her excitement fly. "You're mad."

"I'm not _mad_!" Caitlin insisted coolly. "Just…suddenly wondering why I'm here."

"Because you're helping out a friend."

"A friend I love dearly."

Cisco felt his temper flare and tapped himself on the chest. "I said I didn't want to come to the party in the first place. You're the one who talked me into coming. It's the same thing all the time, I either get ignored, made fun of, or grilled the entire time and I'm sick of it."

"And I didn't want you to miss out on your family, Cisco. You have them, they love you. Even Dante's managed to find some peace with you lately but you're throwing it away."

"And you know why! I don't keep bugging you about why you don't hang out with _your_ family."

"That's different."

Cisco pressed his lips together as he shook his head. "Yeah, not really."

"Then why'd you agree to doing this, Cisco? Why did you agree to letting me pretend to be your girlfriend?"

" _I_ was talked into this!"

"You said you wanted to get your family off your back—"

"—so why did _you_ decide to do it?"

"To help you out?" Sarcasm tinged her tone, unable to be hidden.

"Are you sure about that?"

Cisco's words laid heavily on Caitlin, abruptly cutting herself off from her next retort. They didn't fight a lot, but when they did it could last a while. It was too easy, too emotional. And yet, the simple question had put her into stunned silence. That was the funny thing about simple questions. The simplest were the most complicated. Cisco's eyes bore into hers and in that moment, he felt something between them change. An imperceptible shift that, if she were being completely honest, had probably shifted years ago. No, it wasn't just a shift; it was a further shove in the right direction.

"Mistletoe!" Diego cried. Having abandoned his work to tying Barry up with gift wrap, he ran into the kitchen for dessert. Now with fingers as chocolaty as his cheeks, Diego had stopped by Cisco and Caitlin and pointed up above their heads. "It's mistletoe!'

Cisco and Caitlin both looked upwards and both stared at the sprig of green that was hung above their head. Cisco remembered his mother asking him to put it there, to catch anyone who would be coming to and from the kitchen. So far, his grandfather had taken advantage of it, getting his grandmother under the mistletoe to giggle a protest every time he gave her a kiss. And Barry and Cadence had been caught under it as well, though Cisco knew they hadn't needed the excuse for it.

Now he and Caitlin were caught.

And in his family, they took Christmas traditions and rules very seriously. It was the only reason he would've allowed himself to be kissed by his Tia Alaya…who just so happened to have a mustache coming in.

Suddenly, Cisco felt frozen. As if Captain Cold or Killer Frost was attacking him from a blindspot. He couldn't move, could hardly think. Finally, he lowered his gaze from the ceiling back to Caitlin and found she had done the same at the same time.

Silence.

Then movement. He wasn't sure if he moved first or her, but the next thing Cisco knew, his next conscious thought, was how much he enjoyed the smell of the perfume Caitlin was wearing as it swirled around him, his lips pressing against hers. Her hands gently on his shoulders, his…well, he wasn't quite sure where his were; he was still so numb, so cold. His heartbeat somewhere between slowing and rapidly speeding up, queasy waves rolling through his stomach.

A good queasy.

A great queasy, even.

The sound of clapping and cheering erupted around them like gunshots. Cisco broke away and glared at Dante, who stood at the front of the group of his relatives, leading the cheers. He turned back to say something to Caitlin, but she was gone.

"Caitlin!"

Craning his neck, Cisco looked to see if he could find her, his eyes catching her shadowed form slipping out the front door. With a sigh, Cisco went over to the window and looked out as Caitlin made her way down the street.

Snow began to fall.

* * *

 **A/N:** I think I made Dante a little bit _too_ much of a jerk, but it at least works for this story. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Rile**


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

* * *

Okay, it was the second time Caitlin didn't know what to do.

On one hand she could just turn around and go back to the party and explain everything to Cisco. And on the other hand, she could keep wallowing in her own self-pity and confusion. The second option seemed better. It'd give her some time to herself. Away from prying eyes, from the pressure, from the distinct feeling she was doing something wrong.

Who felt guilt when kissing someone? Someone they liked?

Cisco was great; he was always there for her, always helped her out, always made her laugh. Always, always, always. He was a constant figure in her life that she couldn't bear the thought of losing. That's the way it always happened, didn't it?

 _You think you're happy and the next moment, they're gone,_ she thought.

Caitlin shuddered and pulled her jacket and scarf tighter around her as the wind suddenly picked up. She turned her gaze to the sky and looked at the clouds that hung low overhead. She expected, there to be a chill that evening, she saw it on the news. It was supposed to snow. She loved the snow. It was the best part of the holiday. But right now, the gray clouds were looking orange, taking on the glow from the streetlamps that lined the streets.

The empty streets where the only sound was the sound of her heels clacking along the ground.

Another chill rolled down Caitlin's spine and she pulled her jacket closer around her. Was it the cold of the night or was it fear? She knew walking out by herself at nigh tin Central City wasn't the best idea. There were metahumans and criminals everywhere. Despite Barry and Cadence being around to protect the city as much as possible, the crime rate had gone up enough that a citywide curfew was thought to be put in place. She needed to get home fast.

Where she was safe, warm, and able to sit with her thoughts while drinking coffee and watching the snowfall.

If it ever snowed.

Suddenly, there was a _whoosh_ of air and a figure appeared in font of Caitlin, making her come to a screeching halt with a scream of surprise. Barry straightened himself, rubbing the back of his arm across his reddened nose.

"Caitlin!"

"Barry!" Caitlin brought her hand up to her chest, feeling her heart fluttering in her chest. Funny, it had been doing the same not long before. The thought of Cisco's lips on hers came to mind and Caitlin quickly shook it away with a flick of her head. She stepped forward shoved Barry hard on the shoulder. "Don't _do_ that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry," Barry apologized quickly. "I just ran around the entire city looking for you." His breath came out in large clouds of fog. "I didn't think you'd get so far so fast." He gave her a funny smile. "Are you a speedster and didn't tell me?" He laughed at his own joke and Caitlin folded her arms, glaring back at her. "Ouch, and I thought it wasn't possible to be killed by a glare."

"What is it, Barry? I'm trying to get home," Caitlin said. She started off down the sidewalk once more, hugging her arms as tightly to her as possible. She'd forgotten her gloves and scarf in her hurry to leave the Ramon house. It was funny, really, that she was even bothered by the cold.

"I know," Barry agreed with a nod. He gestured with his arm before falling in step with her. With a friendly smile he said, "I'll walk you."

Caitlin couldn't help the small smile that came to her face. Barry was a great friend. "I didn't know it was possible for you to go so slowly."

Barry shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, hunching his shoulders forward to block the wind that blew his way. "When I want a lot of time to think or to just…relax, I prefer to walk."

"I thought anything slow made you want to lose your mind," Caitlin teased.

"Only when I can't do anything to speed things up, like going in for doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, getting my taxes done…" He started to count off on his fingers, making Caitlin roll her eyes.

"Right, everything else we do slowly must be so torturous for you. I'm sure you're a blast at amusement parks."

"When was the last time _you_ went to an amusement park?"

Caitlin thought about it for a moment before sadness washed over her. "Ronnie and I went for his birthday. He really wanted to go to Six Flags and they're not my favorite place. But we had a lot of fun." She brushed her hair back from her face. "Actually, I had to talk him out of going back for our honeymoon." Barry gave her a look and she quickly explained. "We both got to decide something we wanted to do for our honeymoon. Going to Fiji was a gift from his parents, I wanted to go to Canada to visit Vancouver and Montreal, and Ronnie wanted to go to go a football game. I talked him out of that and settled on going to an amusement park."

"Nothing says 'love' like screaming on a rollercoaster," Barry said.

"That was the point. Ronnie made me try new things and experiences. Sushi, snorkeling. I hadn't played soccer in years and he convinced me to join an adult soccer league." She noticed Barry's surprised look and blushed. "Like I said, I used to play soccer all the time. I stopped after a while. And Ronnie liked to play. We didn't really get to join any teams or anything, but it was fun."

Barry nodded. "Because he died, right?"

Caitlin lowered her chin into her scarf. Tears clung to her lashes as she struggled to hold back her sadness. Barry continued to walk alongside her quietly. After a few moments, he stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Caitlin gave him a grateful smile and allowed herself to cry quietly. God, she missed Ronnie so much. She thought things would've been fine by that point, it had been about two years. She'd smiled again, had great friends, had great experiences. But the moment things started to remind her of him…

"What about your dad?"

Surprised, Caitlin looked up at him in surprise. "My dad passed away a long time ago."

"I know that, I mean..." Barry licked his lips. "Cisco was telling me about him, how this was your guys' favorite time of year."

"Yeah, Christmas was his favorite holiday. Before his illness got too bad, he worked hard to get the house decorated. Our electric bill would skyrocket every year around the holidays and mom would fuss but dad would reassure her everything would be fine." She shrugged. "And everything _was_ fine. He'd had many patents and inventions that were selling, and mom's work was doing well. We were happy."

"When he passed…?"

"It was in the summer. But when Christmas came around again…I couldn't handle it. Mom didn't decorate anything, she became cold and distant. We didn't celebrate. I couldn't. I tried to go to my dad's grave and I couldn't go as far as the steps of the front porch before crying my eyes out. And after that, I couldn't stand the holidays or being around my mom. Or anything that had to do with it."

"Until you met Ronnie."

"Well…" Caitlin paused. She laughed to herself. "Yes and no. During school I had my colleagues celebrate and we did Secret Santa. That was always fun. Not as much fun as it used to be, but fun. I'd avoid coming home; knowing my mom was doing everything she could to not make it feel like home. I'd stay in the dorms or I'd go to a hotel and find something to keep myself occupied. People always say the holidays are lonely if you're alone but it can be fun if you know how to keep yourself preoccupied."

Barry's smile was warm, making Caitlin feel a little better. Stronger. She kept speaking.

"When I started at STAR Labs, Christmas was Dr. Wells' favorite holiday. He always said we were his family, and he did his best to make us feel that way. He was a perfectionist and worked us hard, but during the holidays he let us know how much he appreciated our help. Gifts for everyone, decorations, champagne, time off…but he always respected that I didn't like to celebrate so much. Cisco and Ronnie started around the same time and when Ronnie and I were only just getting to know each other, Cisco was the one I gravitated to as work friend. We're completely different but that's what made things work. He helped me relax and I helped him understand how to be serious about his work and not take things too personally if things went wrong.

"And he helped me enjoy Christmas again. He took me to his family's party and they made everything feel so warm and inviting and that I belonged. Not like an empty shell that my house was. I started to enjoy it more. And as the years went on I started to actually love Christmas again. Then I met Ronnie and…" she shrugged. "And everything was perfect again…until he died."

Barry suddenly stopped walking, nearly making Caitlin's arm jerk out of its socket from the abrupt motion. She turned back to him. "Barry?" He looked like he was trying to work something out. Then his eyes widened when he had an epiphany. "Barry, are you okay?"

"You're afraid," he finally said.

Caitlin's eyes shifted back and forth. "Afraid?" She repeated.

"You're afraid something's going to happen with Cisco," he explained. Caitlin continued to look at him in confusion. "I know you like him, Caitlin."

"He's my friend," she said slowly. "Of course I like him." _Liar._ The thought niggled in the back of her mind.

Barry shook his head. "You like him, Caitlin. You really care about him. And that scares you. Because you're afraid something's going to happen to him and you'll be alone again. You lost your father, Ronnie, Jay—"

"Barry." Caitlin couldn't manage more than a whisper of his name. That one still stung. How easily she could be played and with no remorse for the speedster that had claimed he loved her, cared about her. But continued to torture her.

"And you left the party because you realized it, when he kissed you. You realized what you were risking and you're afraid to lose it." Caitlin lifted her brown eyes to look at Barry. "Caitlin, Cisco loves you. He's not going to do anything to jeopardize that. And you can't allow yourself to miss out on something that can be really good because of that."

Caitlin shook her head. Barry didn't get it. When he had feelings for Iris, Barry never said anything about it and pined away until his feelings for her changed. But Iris was always going to be around, he'd never lose her. With Cadence, the two were both superheroes and were consistently on the field together. They could protect each other form getting hurt even if the risk was there. But their risk of life to protect the city was much more important.

She and Cisco were in the Cortex day after day, watching and helping their friends. Cisco was new with his powers and he wasn't ready to go out into the field yet.

 _But he will be one day,_ she thought. And, like Ronnie, she knew he'd run into trouble the moment he was needed. And…maybe leave her. Caitlin didn't respond to Barry's questioning look, waiting to see how she'd respond.

Instead, she kept walking.

Barry fell back in step with her and after a few minutes of walking in silence, arrived at her apartment. Caitlin was still annoyed with him but invited him inside for a cup of coffee anyway. It was the least she could do for him walking her home. But Barry declined, despite hovering nervously by the door as she went to unlock it.

Caitlin flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong, Barry?"

"No. I just, uh, wanted to make sure you got inside okay."

"I think I can handle it."

"Right, yeah, I mean, you never know." Barry ran a hand over his hair, his eyes darting to the side while Caitlin pushed open the door.

She glanced towards the couch, her first instinct to pull off her car length coat and scarf to jump in the shower, and spotted Cisco and Cadence sitting on her couch without a care in the world. Cisco looked over when she entered and leapt to his feet, rubbing his palms on the sides of his jeans as Cadence calmly set her mug of coffee—no, hot chocolate—down and rested her hands in her lap.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," She said.

Caitlin gaped at her. For a split second she wondered how they'd managed to break into her apartment. Then she remembered. Flare. Teleporting ability. Vibe. Could open breaches. Right. She looked back at Barry, who closed the door behind them and gave a sheepish smile.

 _Of course, a set up,_ she thought. There was no other explanation. All of this was a set up.

"Look, Cade, I know you were trying to help," Caitlin said. "To help Cisco with his family problems and to help us and…I'm grateful for that. You're a good friend." Cadence gave a small smile. "But I really don't want to talk right now and—"

"I know," Cadence interrupted. She stood up from the couch and clasped her hands together. "I can't stay anyway. If I don't get home soon, my mom is going to corrupt Brady more than I could ever imagine. I wanted to apologize to you." She looked at Cisco. "We had a long talk while you were out and it explained some things. I've already apologized to him but I need to apologize to you. If I knew what would've happened when I made my suggestion—which I'm still saying you didn't have to take—"

Barry cleared his throat and Cadence broke off.

"Then neither of you would be so upset," Cadence quickly corrected herself. "I'm sorry, Cait," she said sincerely."

Caitlin smiled. She could never stay mad at her best friend too long. "It's okay," she said. "You were only trying to help." Finally, she looked at Cisco, tough couldn't quite reach his eyes. "And I'm sorry to be rude but I really don't feel like talking right now—"

"—I know," Cisco interrupted her. He reached to the side and picked up a festive looking bag. "I didn't think you'd want to. I just…wanted to give you your gift." He held it out to her. "Then I'll leave."

Caitlin hesitated then stepped forward to grab the bag. She was surprised with how heavy it was, almost dropping it as soon as the rope handles rested in her palm. Carefully, she set the bag onto the coffee table and reached her hand inside. As soon as her palm enclosed around the glass surface, she immediately knew it was a snow globe.

She started to stay something, a stilted 'thank you' before she pulled it out and all words stopped. It was the most beautiful snow globe she'd ever seen. In the dim lighting of the apartment—only a lamp by the TV was on—LED lights slowly faded from bright blues, reds, and purples, to illustrious greens and yellows in a circle. The snowflakes inside already swirled around as if she had shaken it, creating a snowstorm inside, covering the mountain that poked up in the center. As Caitlin stared, her thumb moved over a button and a soft song started to gently waft out.

 _What is that?_ Pain gripped Caitli's heart as the memories came. The classical music she and her father listened to. The song that he'd have her listen to every day of December until Christmas. The same music she'd shown to Ronnie later.

"It's…" She couldn't get the word out.

"I thought, maybe, since you used to love Christmas so much that it'd be a good present," Cisco explained quietly. "It's Wilton Mountain," he said along with Caitlin, who whispered the words.

"Dad's favorite place to travel," She said. "Cisco, how did you…?" She didn't have to ask how he knew about it. She'd told him once before. Only once. And he'd remembered. Not only did he remember, but he managed to bring together everything she loved into a gift. An expensive one. An emotionally expensive one. How…?

"I know you don't want to talk right now," he said quickly, taking advantage of her silence. "I just want you to listen. I'm sorry if I upset you in some way when I kissed you. I mean, I didn't know I was _that_ bad of a kisser," he gave a nervous laugh. "But I'm sorry. About all of it. About our fight, about agreeing to let you pretend to be my girlfriend, about having to lie. I'm sorry, okay? I don't like to fight with you, I just want my friend back and for things to go back to normal."

"It can't," Caitlin said. She took in a deep breath and looked at Barry, who nodded encouragingly to her. "Because things aren't going to be the same, Cisco."

He looked crestfallen.

"I wasn't mad at you," She said. "I was mad at myself and the situation Dante put us in."

"Well, he hasn't always been the _best_ brother. And I know my family was a little excited about you being there and my abuela giving you Victoria's Secret stuff probably wasn't the _best_ idea…"

Caitlin did everything she could not to meet Cadence's eyes, knowing she was smirking in a 'I-told-you-so' way. "It wasn't that," she said. She gestured between the two of them. "It was everything else. It was…having to fake it in the first place…because it didn't feel fake to me. It felt real." Cisco tilted his head in confusion. "I heard you say it, that you had a girlfriend you loved dearly. And…that scared me because I couldn't tell if you meant it." She paused. That was a lie. "I _did_ know you meant it. And…and…" tears came to her eyes as she shook her head. "I can't lose you, Cisco."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cisco reassured her.

"Everyone I've loved in my life is gone," Caitlin reminded her. "My dad, my mom, Ronnie, Jay…I can't stand the thought of losing you, too. But…it hurts too much to know we're not doing anything either because you love me, Cisco. I know you do. And…I love you, too."

A small smile started to come to Cisco's face.

"I don't want to be hurt again."

"If anyone does, I'll tear them apart," Cisco said firmly. He held up his hands. "I've got mad vibing skills and I'm not afraid to use them." Caitlin smiled a little. Cisco side-stepped the coffee table and moved to stand in front of her, tilting his head back so he could look her in the eye. "I'm serious, Cait. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I may do something stupid every now and then but…I've done that before and you've always reeled me back. Just like I finally managed to get you to admit that Star Wars might be better than Star Trek."

Caitlin screwed up her face. "I said it was a little more realistic, not that I thought it was better."

"Details." Hesitantly, Cisco reached out his hands and grabbed Caitlin's after she set the snow globe aside. Then he stood still for a moment, as if he were in a trance, smiling when he shifted back into focus.

"What?" Caitlin asked.

"Did you just vibe?" Barry spoke up for the first time since arriving.

"What'd you see?" Cadence asked eagerly.

Cisco looked Caitlin in the eye and his smile widened. "I saw something that'd make me really happy."

"Like?" Caitlin pressed. She had an idea of what it was, the mischievous glint in Cisco's eye seeming to prove her right without him having to say anything.

"You'll see," he said. Then he looked down towards their hands. "Hey," he realized. "You're not cold. Normally your hands are as cold as ice."

Instead of responding, Caitlin leaned in and gave Cisco a kiss, wrapping her arms around him as he tightly grasped her waist. This was Cisco, her friend, someone she loves. Someone she wasn't going to let anything happen to and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. They'd done that long before they became part of Team Flash and would continue to do so.

"I'm just saying," Cadence said in a hushed tone to Barry when Caitlin broke the kiss and matched Cisco's grin. "That if it weren't for my suggestion, none of this would've happened."

Barry simply let out an exasperated sigh, looping his arm around her shoulders as he said, "Shut up, Cade."

Outside, the snow began to fall.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N** : I meant t have this is up on Christmas Eve and/or on Christmas Day but you know how the holidays get. I hope you guys enjoyed this story. I really do like the idea of Caitlin and Cisco together as friends and even as a romantic couple so it was really fun for my first try. Thank you for those that favorited and reviewed. I do hope to write some more in the future.

I hope you guys had a great Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa (starts today) and New Year!

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riley**


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